Staring at the Sky
by FireFeline
Summary: Chapter 10 is up! After being defeated by Inuyasha, Hiten is pulled into modern times by a dark sorceress. It seems like his luck hasn't improved. REVISED Please read and review!
1. Torn

Summary: After being defeated by Inuyasha, Hiten is pulled into modern times by a dark sorceress. Mentally distraught and physically unequipped to escape Hiten is forced to choose between trusting another demon to help and making a tentative pact or face his soul being eternally enslaved to the dark sorceress. Possibly a Hiten/OC later on.

Disclaimer: Hiten and the world of Inuyasha are creations of Rumiko Takahashi.

AN: This is my first fanfiction I've come out and published. I would really appreciate some advice and criticism. Well then... on with the fanfiction...

Staring at the Sky (revised 9-26-05)  
by: FireCatRich

Chapter One: Torn

Life all but drained from his injured body, Hiten's eyes stared out at the world. The earth and sky were nothing more than smears of color to his unfocused gaze. The darkness that clung to his mind did little to prevent his memories from rifling by. Tears welled behind his eyes, he knew the end was near. The air, heavy with moisture, chilled his skin. The jutting edges of rocks that stab uncomfortably into side, made it difficult to accept not being able to rise. A slosh of liquid accompanied the rise of blood into his mouth as his lungs began to fill. Despite his youkai heritage he would drown in his own red fluid. Drown in an inch of water, or so the phrase went. Swallowing the mass in his throat, his stomach knotted as he chocked down it down in an attempt to save his last bit of dignity and avoid the throes brought on by suffocation.

The hanyou which had delivered him to death's door had long since left. The last bit of mockery, leaving before he was dead. Totally denying him any chance his chocking cry for a mercy stroke would be heard. Left for dead, he languished in the humility of defeat and slow death which brought him to pitiful wishes of the nothingness which merely hung over him as though taunting him.

The tears spilled over as the growing fear of what he would face took hold. The emptiness he felt after his brothers death had stripped his defenses and left his soul wounded, open to emotional infection. The festering of the astral flesh would follow him even when his corpse would not. He had damned himself, utterly and completely to this fate. Not accepting it did little to stem the flow of fate.

Still he lingered. The ruby sheen of the blood dulled as it thickened and solidified. His vision, not much more than black swirls, worsened until even the sense of light or dark vanished. The first drops of rain hit his bare shoulder, prickling his skin to goose flesh. He grappled with the impending doom he felt upon himself. Even youkai could not survive the loss of so much blood, why did he still remain contained within his flesh vessel? What had started as a light rain, swelled to a down pour. What had remained clean of blood became sodden with water. The wet material clung to his skin. A curl of his raven hair plastered to his forehead diverted the flow of water down across the bridge of his nose to snake down his cheek and finally to the rocky earth which he lay upon.

A sharp pain lanced though his consciousness. His body stirred of its own accord, his arms dragged up as though pulled along by invisable bonds. The rain, now icy needles, stung his face as his head lolled back. The throbbing behind his eyes spread until it consumed his thoughts. Standing on legs that could not support his weight made his stomach reel. Vertigo stirred the liquid with in his gut. The bitter taste of bile coming up into his mouth.

As though stab though the chest, his heart came to sudden stillness. Reality came into a sharp focus, clarity restored for a brief moment before being ripped away. The bleak darkness finally laying claim, drawing him in with its shadowed claws.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

A faint flicker of heat drew Hiten out of his dark slumber. Forcing his weighted eye lids to open, he found himself curled up like a small animal. His legs were pulled up nearly to his chest, his arms crossed, hugging his shoulders. The dim iridescent glow that radiated from the floor brought back the throbbing to Hiten's muddled mind. The smooth surface which he lay upon held translucent scribed lines upon its black lusterless surface. The sharp contracts of his hair upon the floor made it appear as a glossy serpent stretched to bask in the fading glow. His rolled out of his compact form to lay face down upon the floor. He could feel a twinge of a sore neck work its way along his spine.

His demon sight drew in his surroundings even as the light diminished to little more than an after image in the field of his vision. Finding he was unable to see more than monochromatic walls and a low ceiling from his current angle, he slow drew his arms underneath him, propping himself up on elbows. The silence was disrupted only the slight scrap of his armored fore arms against the floor and the sigh of his hair as it was dragged up with him. The eerie quiet sat uneasily in his mind.

Finding his body with some degree of strength, Hiten pushed himself up until was able to bring his feet under him. He stood, his splayed feet turned in to balance his distraught form. The effort had already shortened him of breath and made his vision swirling again. His senses prickled, the warning automatically tensing his muscled form as his body shifted to a heightened alertness. He strained his senses. There was an almost sound. Something that one is not sure they hear even if they are focused upon it. A numbing weakness began to intrude into his mind as the tingling crept into his extremities.

The shifting of clothing betrayed the figure which watched him from the deep shadows. Jerking his head to the side, his braid lashed the air like a taut whip. He forced his knees lock to remain standing, he would not fall to the ground while anyone was around to observe his state of weakness. A tremor which shot up though his legs threatened to drop him to the floor. Scanning the room, Hiten could feel his nerves twisting. There was a demon here, although he was unable to pin point its location.

"Who's there?" The dry rasp of his voice sounded sickeningly pathetic to his ears as he called into the darkness.

A rush of air whipped past him. His apt senses identified the entrance of a demon into his midst. The air crackled with spent power. A robed from emerged from the shadows to reveil itself as the small figure suggested a young women in her late teens. The aroma of dried spices mingled with the distinct sent of human.

"I trust you slept well," The melodious voice sent warning spikes up his spine. Something was very wrong here. Not trusting his legs enough to unlock his knees, Hiten remained as he was as he tried to identify the dangers around him. The walls which enclosed the room began to shift. The seemingly solid barriers split into dark ribbons that caved in on themselves. Lightheaded, Hiten started to collapse as the taut ligaments in his knees gave out. The sickening plunge to the ground came to an abrupt halt as he head struck the floor.

To be continued...

AN: Please review! Thank you for reading!


	2. Demon Pact

Disclaimer: Hiten and the world of Inuyasha are creations of Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
AN: In trying to move the plot along, I could really use the aid of some  
input. Please read and review!  
  
Chapter Two: Demon Pact  
  
Hiten felt like it had only been unconscious a matter of seconds when a searing pain lashed out from his shoulder. The oblivion that Hiten had come to rest in was ripped away, leaving him in the confusion of startled wakefulness. His hand instinctively grasped for the source of his agony, latching his iron grip around a narrow wrist. Half arisen from the bed he found himself in, it took a few moments for his eyes to come into focus.  
The wrist he had nearly crushed in his powerful grip belonged to a young boy, physically appearing four maybe five years younger than himself. His fair hair contrasted with his dark auburn eyes. The distinctive look of a fox demon drew the boy's elegant form into a hash beauty.  
"I didn't mean you any harm. If you don't mind, can you can release my wrist and I will finish binding your shoulder." The boy tipped his head back in a condescending flick, the short, coin-bright hair catching to sunlight which shone in though the window. Narrowing his eyes, Hiten racked his memory for a reason this boy would help him. His previous encounters with fox demons did not merit any favors, to say the least.  
Tentatively uncurling his fingers, Hiten relinquished his death grip on the fox demon's wrist. Scrutinizing the demon before him, Hiten noted countless power threads upon his body, their iridescent glow barely noticeable in the bright room, the intricate wavings for an undeterminable purpose. His angular ears, bore small silver rings at their base and a cuff near the top on his left side. The unusual garb he worse consisted of a white button up shirt and black pants. If this demon proved to be his enemy, Hiten would know all there was to gather about him.  
Biting back a suffering cry, Hiten took also noted how little this fox boy cared for the agony his bandaging was inflicting. Averting his eyes, Hiten took in the empty, white room he had awakened in. The bed which he lay upon had been placed in the center of the room, its corners skewed, almost diagonally with the corners of the room. A door adjacent the window was the only means of entrance or exit without being able to fly. Stifling another gasp, Hiten fixed his eyes back on the kitsune.  
"Who are you?" The underlying agitation broke into Hiten's voice.  
"My name is Haruki." the fox started as he tied off the bandaging on Hiten's shoulder. "I am lady Midori's servant," The arrogant tone dropped off, his eyes darkening as he turned away from Hiten. The harmonic vibrations of a shield rang though the air as Haruki stepped away from the bed. Propping himself up on his elbows, Hiten felt the chilled room air hit his bare chest.  
Finding himself stripped of his armor and shirt, Hiten shifted uneasily from the blankets. His bare feet hitting the floor affirmed that he was clothed only in his navy pants.  
"I wouldn't recommend trying to leave the bed." Haruki turned back towards him as he reached for the door knob. "There is a spell barrier in place that would do some rather devastating damage to you, in your weakened state." The brazen tone of his voice emphasizing the last bit of his statement as he closed the door. Hiten was left alone where he sat at the edge of the bed. Raising his angled eyebrow, Hiten reached out with an inquisitive prod. Energy flared and shot up his arm as he came in contact with the barrier.  
Cursing under his breath, Hiten pulled his arm back against his chest. His fingers arched like claws, the numbness and cramping lasting a few moments before his arm returned to normal. Flexing his hand, he confirmed that in his current condition he would not be forcing his way though. The crimson orbs of his eyes flared with rage. Who would dare hold him prisoner like a bird in a cage?  
Turning his head toward the window, his anger all but vanished as his attention was diverted to the buildings he saw. Like the trunks of huge glass trees barren of leaves or branches, they made a dense forest beyond. He had never seen anything of the sort in all of his long years of existence. Unable to see past more than half a dozen of these great structures, he was unable to determine how far this jungle stretched. Tiny slivers of the evening sun shone in though the glass pane of the window.  
Vexed, he turned his attention back to the barrier. His innate senses told him that the barrier radiated up though the floor, as faint characters inscribed on the floor circled the bed, the barrier following its contours. Growing irritated with his inability to find any means of escape, Hiten threw himself back down on the bed. Folding his hands behind his head, he winced. The throbbing pain of his wounded shoulder reverberated with his sudden movement.  
His mind ran back to who had wounded him: the hanyou who had stolen everything. Shutting his eyes, Hiten tried to clear his mind. He tried to force away the inevitable guilt that nagged at him, but tears welled despite his best efforts.  
When they, Manten and himself, had killed the fox demon for his Shikon shard they had not been able to foresee any outcome close to what had really taken place. In hindsight Hiten regretted not running the little fox pup though. Although death now held something more endeared to him. Yes, his parents had died and he had mourned their loss, but he had not been alone. Though they had always been close, it was then that he and his brother became interdependent.  
Swallowing hard, Hiten felt his stomach turn at the memory of tasting of his brother's blood. Although he had done it to get revenge it still did not sit well with him. His mind had not been completely his own, his sorrow had not been the only motive that had driven him to devouring a part of his brother.  
The door knob turned, the sound disrupting Hiten's train of thought. Quickly getting rid of any evidence that he had wept, Hiten sat up to see Haruki enter carrying a steaming down of rice.  
"I warned you not to mess with the barrier." Haruki traced invisible lines in the air before proceeding. The section of the barrier that had reacted to Hiten glowed an angry red before fading back to its translucent form. Shoving the bowl of rice into Hiten's hands, Haruki turned to leave.  
"Why am I being kept here?" Hiten's stomach turned in a sickened twist as his nose took in the aroma of the food. His eyes fixed on Haruki's back. The recent thoughts of what he had taken into his stomach overwhelmed the ache of hunger.  
"Lady Midori wishes it," Haruki said, turning back to face the thunder demon. Hiten could read the pity on his face. "She has a use for you, although she has not said exactly what it is." For a few tense moments Haruki stood, eyes locked with Hiten's before he left without another word.  
  
The growing feeling of foreboding ate at him. Carefully putting the untouched bowl of rice on the ground, Hiten felt as though he was being watched. "Its not wise to allow your body to starve," a feminine voice scolded him.  
"You are Midori, I presume," Hiten sat up, casually folding his arms across his chest. "I would know what you want from me, women." Directing his attention to a figure that stood in the far corner of the room, he cursed his muddled senses. She had come in without his noticing.  
"Is that any way to address the person who saved your life?" Pulling her hood from her head, the woman allowed her long, dark, straight hair to cascade over her shoulders. Her eyes, as dark as her hair, observed him unrelentingly, seeming to both pull him apart and look straight through him. Although he was sure she was human, there was a somewhat of a demonic age behind her eyes. "I have a favor to ask." her rust-colored lips pursed together before turning up in a narrow smile.  
"I am confined like a caged beast and you ask a favor of me?" Hiten quipped, his eyes flashing a warning as the corners of his lips drew up into a snarl. His fangs gnashed together as his fury rose unchecked. The human laughed, holding her hand up.  
"I never said you had a choice in the matter." Her hand quickly turned like a pen with which she scrawled a symbol in the air. The color drained from Hiten's face. His wounds burned as though salt were rubbed into them by clawed fingers. A hand plunged itself though his open wound, ripping and tearing though his flesh. Gasping for air, Hiten sank onto his knees, having fallen forward from his seat on the bed. Pressing his hand into the now blood soaked bandages, Hiten became aware of a second person in the room, now standing above him.  
Forcing his body to move, Hiten looked upon the demon which stood over him. Blood dripped from the hands of the fox boy. His auburn eyes glazed over as if in a trance as he drew his hand back to strike.  
"I require your soul, so to speak," Midori said, stepping to the edge of the barrier. "I would actually only use it like a tuning fork. Although the process would sever the bridge between your physical body and astral body... you were dead for all intents and purposes when I brought you here anyway." The corners of the her lips curled further into a calculated smile.  
The threads of energy gave off a harmonic ring, growing louder as the moment dragged on. The blow which was readied to kill him remind frozen, muscles taut and strained by the pause.  
Unable to strike at Midori herself, Hiten directed his attention to the fox boy who remained well within his reach. Bringing his weight up in a smooth, practiced movement, Hiten drove his fist under the fox demon's ribs. The pop of cracking ribs and rush of air filled the silence. The room was quiet. Although the air had been forced from his lungs, Haruki remained like a doll, expressionless, his body hunched over Hiten's arm, and his eyes staring blankly.  
Standing to his full height, Hiten stood over Haruki, noting that the boy only came up to his shoulder. He opened up his fisted hand to hold the demon boy up. Knitting her dark brows and pressing her thin lips together, Midori became enraged that he had retaliated in such a manner.  
Fuming with anger, Midori turned away, her robe flung out like a bird's wings. The harmonics of the power which coursed though Haruki fell into disharmonious jumbles as his stung muscles gave out. His body went limp, a wisp of a spirit flowing from a charm on Midori's necklace into the demon's body. "Do not think this a victory, Haruki is expendable. Although I would have expected more of you than to strike him down while his body was vacant of a spirit." Midori vanished, air rushing into where she had stood.  
Hiten looked down at the fox boy whom he held. Labored breath made the small boy's frame quake. He had more questions than answers and this demon seemed to be the only one in a position to tell him. Tossing the boy on the bed with a cold hearted flick of his wrist, Hiten scooped up the cooled bowl of rice, finding his stomach more apt to accepting the food. Although he had never been fond of human food, his desire to rip the wench apart made his taste less discerning.  
His will would not bend to that of a human no matter their power. His pride would not be swallowed, which left him with the thought of escape. Although he would not simply flee, he would kill the arrogant woman first. Gazing out the window, he found the bright day had turned to a fading dusk. This place he'd been taken was not his familiar world, in which he could simply take up his former part. He had only been able to pick out countless humans with his senses--with the exception of Haruki.  
Replacing the now emptied bowl on the floor, Hiten proceeded to peel away what remained of the now-shredded bandages. The slice of the sword wound had been torn open and the tissue inflamed. Giving a quick glance of the bloodied cloth he held crumpled in his hand, Hiten thought over the barrier. It denied his exit, although did not bar the fox. Throwing the bandages, he watched as the cloth sailed though the barrier without any added resistance and collided with the far wall.  
Haruki stirred from his place on the bed, half rolled as though to get away from Hiten. With demon-speed, Hiten grabbed the fox's upper arm before he was able to get off the bed and though the barrier.  
"Trying to get away?" Hiten sneered as his fingers dung into the boy's arm.  
"Why would I need to get away from a half-dead thunder demon?" The fox disappeared in a swirl of fire, his arm slipping free of Hiten's grip. The fire faded to reveal Haruki in a half crouched position outside of the barrier. The still-wet blood smeared across his face as the fox wiped the back of his hand against his cheek. The air grew thick as the demons glared at each other, each unwilling to back down as the contest drew on.  
"Those are bold words from a human's lap dog," Hiten snapped. Taken aback, Haruki curled his lips into a snarl. Putting on his trademark smirk, Hiten continued to prod the nerve. "Seems as though she has you running on a short leash, doing her dirty work for her." The fox's body grew taut, his muscles tense with barely restrained anger. Flicking his braid with his forefinger, Hiten let the long plait fall behind his back with a swoosh.  
"I have no free will, what can I do when my body is not my own to command?" the fox shot back. Hiten quirked his angled eye brow in questioning manner. The dimming light of the sun cast tall shadows in the room. The fox's auburn eyes lost their flare as he seemed to lose himself in thought.  
"How is it that a demon would serve a human?" Hiten reexamined the bizarre moments which conspired between himself, fox and the human in his mind's eye.  
"She is not a miko," Haruki avoided Hiten's gaze, preferring to look out the window. "The powers which she can tap are far more limited. I know that there must be compatibly harmonies in the energy she taps." In a half hearted gesture, the fox demon ran his idle hand though his short hair. "The similarities are a product of inborn and environmental causes," the boy trailed off, as if consulting himself. Hiten remained silent, watching the young fox demon squirm under his gaze.  
Tipping his head back in a breathless laugh, Haruki wrapped one of his arms around his mid-section. "Your punch is no less than I would expect from a demon she invested so much energy to retrieve." Changing the subject, the demon boy turned his back to other.  
"For what purpose then do you serve the wench?" Hiten's body was ridged, the thought of being forced into servitude to a human made his blood run hot.  
"The lady is one hundred and eight years of age." Haruki drew his forefinger and thumb together, rubbing the quickly drying blood between them. "I am the third demon that has sustained her life force and youth." The cinnamon coloring of the fox's eyes darkened with a deeply felt grudge. "Because of that, I would rather offer you a means of escape than help her." the young demon said suggesting a possible common gain.  
Hiten, drawing his brows together, took in his companion's form. This juvenile pup of a fox demon struck him as a complex spirit to figure out. To confide in a demon he had just met, this fox must either be desperate for an ally, or a using a ploy to win his trust and later betray it.  
"You should be very careful who you tell such things to, whelp. It seems to me, my problems would be solved if I simply killed you." Hiten smiled, his fangs glinting in the last of the sunlight. "I would not have to listen to your lamenting nor would I have to deal with that arrogant human child that seems to have forgotten her place. Humans will always remain underfoot, in the dirt, as long as there are demons to take their rightful place above them." The unspoken acknowledgment of a similar goal between the demons promised a tiny bit of hope to the fox boy and a sense of camaraderie that had been long since lost to him.  
Hiten lay back on the bed, the slit pupils of his eyes widening in compensation for the falling darkness. A twinge of sorrow and guilt over the slaughter of both the fox demons and the murder of his brother cross- hatched as he lay in quiet thought.  
  
To be continued...  
  
AN: I have tried very hard to avoid putting Hiten OOC, I don't know if I succeeded or not... Thanks again for reading! 


	3. In Death

Disclaimer: Hiten and the world of Inuyasha are creations of Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
AN: I just want to say thank you to everyone that reviewed. ^_^  
  
Chapter Three: In Death  
  
Hiten slowly drew himself up, the stiffness in his wounded shoulder protesting in a throbbing mummer of sensitive nerves. The last two days had passed in an uneventful fashion, his muscles becoming cramped by his confinement. Haruki remained his only contact with the world beyond the shield, talking as though to the dark rather than to the thunder demon. Hiten had learned a great deal about the fall of demons and how he had been pulled from his time nearly five hundred years in the past now to this age. Humans massed and seethed like an infestation of hapless insects. Demons chose to remain hidden among the ignorant population.  
The time had come where humans far out numbered demons, pure or half breed. Hanyous themselves were rare, the demon blood so thinned that one could easily live life as a human and never even think other wise. Silence stretched like a gapping mouth as Hiten took in things he never considered possible.  
"You said you had family?" Hiten gazed out into the false dark, the windows of the great buildings in a random pattern of dark and light squares like a mad man's checker board.  
"I have a sister," the fox boy looked up, taking in the profile of his companion. "We aren't related by blood. I was adopted into a human family when my parents were killed," The depths of the young demon's pride did not allow him to elaborate. Again an uneasy quiet darkness descended. "The process of sustaining Midori's youth ages demons as quickly as time dose humans. I am only eighteen human years old."  
The thunder demon grew tense. This fox boy was dying, ever tick of the clock that passed his body was ravaged by the slow decay of time. His body seemed like that of a nearly full grown demon where in age he should still be a small boy still grasping his mother's shirts, protected and sheltered. "Then it is the demons that serves that wench in the past have died, aged like mortals to dust?" The slow nod of the fox boy's head was the only answer Hiten received. His gut twisted at the though of how many generations of humans he had seen be born, raised, age, and wither.  
"Are you afraid to die?" The quiet mummer of Haruki's voice barely audible over Hiten's thoughts. Turning away from the window, Hiten's scarlet gaze fell upon the fox boy. Unsure whether to pity him or offer a different kind of support, the thunder demon sat in silence with wishing more than anything the fox had not asked such a question. The curtain of flaxen hair that fell down concealing the youth's eyes suggested that the boy shivered in emotional turmoil.  
"Demons should not be afraid of death," Hiten callously took the obvious answer, the one the fox boy expected to hear. Covering his distress as the he remembered the cold and lonely feel of his narrow escape from death only a three days or would it be five hundred years in the past. Sliding the empty bowl from his breakfast though the barrier, Hiten felt a weight pull at his conscience, if that is what it could be called.  
"Heh ... of corse not," the fox boy rose from his seat against the wall, his voice trailing off as he picked up the bowl. His face remained down toward the floor as he reached for the door knob, Hiten not failing to notice the quiver of the fox's hand. Opening his mouth as though to say something, Hiten turned away in a scowl. Why did he care is this whelp was in pain? The door slowly swayed open, like a shadow the young demon stepped though the portal with no more noise than the whisper of air.  
"Hey," Hiten spoke up just as the door started to swing close. The demon fox paused, his hand still clutching the outer door knob. Swallowing before continuing, the thunder demon carefully considered what best to say, "When I kill that wench, you wont have to worry about dying like a human." In a breathless laugh, the fox closed the door leaving Hiten alone with his thoughts.  
Did he sympathize with the feeling of impending doom or was it that he felt a family like connection with the youth? A strange similarity between the fox and his younger siblings found a home in his closed heart.  
  
* * *  
  
Standing in the restricted floor space between the bed and the barrier, Hiten stretched his unused muscles.  
"Are you getting restless confined like that?" Hiten's body tightened with the aknowledge that Midori had been watching him for who knows how long. Bringing himself back under control, Hiten casually sat back down on the bed, before turning toward her.  
"One would think you were afraid of me," He gestured toward the barrier, "Such an elaborate and powerful barrier to hold one demon." The early morning light slowly brightened the room as he studied her contracting choice of clothing. In his previous encounters she had worn a cloak which hung to the ground, but now she wore black pants and a white sleeveless turtle neck.  
"If I feared you, I would not have let you live this long," the sorceress absentmindedly ran a hand though her long dark hair. "The barrier is merely a precaution to make sure I can find you when I need you." Her smile held a dark malice which seem to be directly solely at him. Walking to the boundary, just out of reach, she looked down at him like a predator. Her eyes dancing, entertaining seemingly amusing thoughts.  
"You are a fool if you do not fear me," In a swift jerk, ripped the bar from the foot of the bed, the metal screeching as it broke. Stabbing though the barrier, Hiten's uttered a vicious laugh as the half inch steel bar pierced her chest. The bone gave way to the demonic strength that forced that pipe though her sternum, into her heart. In a high pitched trill, the shield dispersed. He was shocked to find the human girl alive, much less laughing.  
"I am not the fool, thunder demon," Her hand shot to her necklace, power charging the air. Her dark hair glowed and eerie light before being replaced by short blond hair. Her eyes became the auburn fightingly similar to Haruki's. "I do not merely select useless demons to act as my life force," Fox fire licked at her hand as she grasp his wrist. Pulled out of shock by the searing pain, Hiten released the metal bar which still remained impaled in the sorceress, the metal shattering like glass at her touch. "Although it is a pity that the fox body had to be sacrificed," Her body shimmered and then stepped back, into two. Midori stood just behind Haruki, her eye color and hair restored to their original state. The fox boy fell forward into a shocked Hiten, barely managing the catch him. "It seems that I must rethink my strategy," Midori disappeared in a flurry of wind.  
"Hey, Haruki," Hiten slowly lowered the young fox, demon's body to the floor. The cooling feel of the young demon's skin made Hiten's stomach turn. The fox's eyes closed as though sleeping, his body still and quiet like a grave. The wound that had been inflicted had been by Hiten's own hands left blood spray on them both. The sharp contrast between Hiten's tanned skin living flesh to the ashen grey of the fox burred as tears welled in the thunder demon's eyes.  
The emotional wound that had not yet stopped bleeding for his brother was gouged again with the cruel blade of fate's hand. Hot tears fell onto his hand as Hiten struggled to get control of himself. He hadn't know the boy very long, why did it hurt to much? Choking down a sob, he was unsure how long he lingered there. 'Are you afraid to die?' The echo of the demon fox's voice twisted the dagger which had lodge itself in his thoughts.  
"Why do you die all around me?" Hiten tilted his head back, as he held the small frame of the fox boy against his chest. The heavy silence hung in the air as though time had stopped. Closing his eyes as new tears raced down his cheeks, he felt lost. He had no where to focus his emotions. His grief tore at him like a stared beast. This event rang though the same cord as his brother's death. Nothing he could do would bring either of them back and in a one way or another he had been directly responsible for their deaths.  
Standing, holding Haruki's body in his arms, Hiten would see that he would have a burial. In his rage he regretted not doing the same with his brother. Not for that it promised some degree of closure, doing all he within his power to do what was right. Alone in the morning light, Hiten was just that, utterly alone in a world he did not fully understand.  
  
To be Continued...  
  
AN: Thanks again for reviewing! 


	4. Freed Spirit

Disclaimer: Hiten and the world of Inuyasha are creations of Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
AN: Special thanks to Oneesan no Miroku Houshi, Hiten-sama, Dusty and Rainy for the encouragement.  
  
Chapter Four: Freed Soul  
  
The rich, damp soil darkened the skin of Hiten's hands and forearms as he sluggishly covered over the last bit of Haruki's grave. His knees ached from too long being bent into the dirt, his sleeveless shirt dampened by the labor. The narrow canyon he had selected to act as a cemetery was far removed from human city. The dense foliage and old trees concealing the site cast a peaceful and shady setting.  
Hiten's short breath was all that disturbed the natural serenity. The warm air and distant chirp of cicada brought memories of what he now viewed as a past life. Although he had always preferred the damp and slightly chilled air of a storm front to the mild heat, the few times he had simply let himself take in his surroundings, times that stuck out in his mind were clouded with the warm haze of pleasant weather. Letting his eyes slipped closed, he tried to recreate a particular afternoon that he was sure not a tree in this stand could remember.  
Choking a muffled sob, Hiten found it difficult to keep his mind from replying painful cycles incessantly trying to dive him insane. He had no plan of action for his present situation, sitting with his back against a large, ruff barked tree. The congested city, clogged with the reek of countless humans did not appeal in the least to him as a home. The mountains, what he has seen of them, were being encroached upon by the humans. Like a growing infection, no where would be far enough removed to avoid catching the contagious plague that was these mortal humans.  
For the time being, he let his taxed body slip into a state between slumber and wakefulness. Haunted already by his inability to protect his closest of family, he knew the knot of emotional faults he had tried to burry would now be even closer to impossible to force down.  
The pains of his physical body, at the moment hunger, were not enough to drive him to his feet. The unmarked grave of the young fox demon not but a few feet behind him would be his charge to protect until he could sufficiently fortify it against carrion eating animals.  
The growl of his stomach voiced its protest, its grumble seemingly more aggravated. The reek of death, earth and old blood gave the rest of his senses a better reason to ignore the complaining gut. Half opening sleepy eyes, Hiten gazed through the patched canopy.  
"I must say, I could not have wished for a better grave site," The unexpected nonchalant voice stuck Hiten's sensitive ears as though he had not heard a spoken word for years. His body snapped out of its stupor, he vision coming into sharp focus as he rolled up onto his knees to face the newly dug grave. The translucent form that stood before him, defied his mind's ability to comprehend. The iridescent figure of Haruki stood, feet splayed in a domineering fashion, his lips turned up in a condescending smirk. "You think you'd be rid of me so easily?" Hiten's senses pricked, he could feel the presence of a second demon.  
"How is this possible?" Cautiously taking this spirit for what it appeared to be, he strained his senses to pin point the second demon, although it die not seem threatening, he would know of it rather than leave it to chance.  
"I can not be put to rest, she still has my spirit bound to this plane," A large spherical form of a demon came into view just behind Haruki, its monochromatic yellowish body hovering in a gentle sway. Its large eyes completely closed, a flute pressed to a tiny mouth it remained in silence. "I require someone that is able to interact with physical objects to secure the necklace..." the wisp paused, finding it difficult to admit that he was in fact dead, "...I have no one else to ask."  
"Oh?" Hiten crossed his arms, half turning away from the spirit, his attention more focused on the formless demon in the background. "I thought you had family, why not ask one of them?"  
"I'm bound to this plane of existence by her necklace. I thought you would want revenge as well or is it your too much of a coward to face her?" Hiten growled, his gaze fiery to burn. A murmur from the balloon like demon brought several other spirits into visible orbs of light. Its eyes flickering as though tempted to open. "Killing her will be mutually beneficial," the inflection bit at Hiten's pride. "I would not see my only chance to get back at that damned women that stole my life stray too far," Making a gesture toward his guardian-like companion before continuing, "It is true that my time here is not limitless and I must simply trust that you desire revenge as well. If you accept I will led to the necklace, it calls to me, even though I no longer have a physically body. My only request is that you take the necklace to my sister once you have taken it. It is in my best interest that the time I linger here be short."  
"I may desire revenge, but I do not desire to deal with humans. Their smell lingers even long after their presence dose not. Be done with what you will, and leave me to my own manner of seeking justice," Hiten drew into himself, grief-stricken demons were bad enough to deal with, much less hapless humans.  
"What other plans is it then that you wish to attend to? I don't recall any way for you to simply go back in time, to your home," Hiten took a sharp breath, the tiny glimmer of hope that he would be able to go back was utterly crushed. He smiled inwardly to himself, he could let the sorrow if not pushed down, simply sit aside, his mind distracted by this interlude.  
"For one to sink so low, I would not expect pride to apply," For the time being he would accept at least seeking revenge. If for nothing less, he would find the only trail to follow with this led. "Then where is she now?" Both the small spirits or laughing human children and flute playing demon shot up into the air. Hovering, barely disenabled against the late afternoon sky before flying toward the city. Hiten was left also in the presence of the ghostly fox demon.  
  
* * *  
  
The late afternoon sun flickered in a out of view as Hiten jumped for roof top to roof top. Cursing the human and hanyou that had robbed him of his ability to fly, he concentrated on the orb that was the fox spirit that led him deeper into the city. His body fell into a fast paced rhythm, his muscles that had protest not being used, now hummed with hard use. The sphere slowed and then unfurled into an mock form of the fox demon's body.  
"She is down there," The spirit pointed over the edge of the building, Hiten drawing up to the edge to peer over. The street was crowed with jostling human bodies. Like a living cloth they cross in both directions, some how not running into each other. Vexed, the thunder demon could not sort so many similar smells at once.  
"Can you be more specific?" Hiten gave an irritated snap, entertaining the though of simply destroying all the humans below. Surely she could not make a fast escape from the mass of bodies. Although locating the necklace would be a bit more difficult, it was merely time consuming searching corpses. The lack of an answer from the spirit did not help his already agitated mood.  
"She isn't.. moving..." a perplexed spirit drifted down into an ally just off the edge of the building. Following, jumping down from the height, Hiten landed crouch, his knees acting like shock absorbers. "I don't understand." Hiten followed the gaze of the spirit to a metallic glint in a puddle near the edge of the ally way. Snatching the pendent from the pool of stagnate water, Hiten clenched his fist around it.  
"Was she aware you could not cross over, is it possible she knew you'd try to led me to her?" Hiten narrowed his eyes, he gaze unrelenting upon the spirit. Was he being led into a trap? Could it be that this fox would serve that human even after death? The chilling laugh sent shivers like ripples in water across his skin.  
"Your such a fool," That unmistakable voice of Midori mocked the thunder demon. "Its so sad how easily you are led around. Do you really think that I would be so blind not to foresee this? Haruki without a body makes that pendant unless to me, but I suppose that such a thick headed demon wouldn't know that." Her cloaked figure stepped from the shadows. Her hair had gained a streak of white hair.  
"It seems that without a demon, you age rather quickly," Hiten launched into an attack, his swipe passing right though her image. Half stumbling, he turned back to face her.  
"Poor little demon, doesn't understand anything. Know that I'll be back for you when I'm ready, I don't let my pets go so easily," In a wisp, she drew herself behind Haruki's spirit, his eyes glazed and unresponsive. Until I find another servant to suit my purposes I am in the same state that he is," She pushed her hand though Harkui with as little resistance as air. "Be careful, though, clenching the pendant like that. I mean you wouldn't want to break his spirit would you?" She disappeared in a swirl of air. Her laughing ringing in his ears even after she was gone. Willing his clenched fist to open, Hiten studied the pendant. A simple silver medallion bearing a line image of a fox, it's eyes tiny garnets.  
"I'm sorry," the lower murmur of the fox demon brought Hiten back to the present. It seemed that this would be a bit more difficult than he had anticipated.  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
AN: Please review! Thank you for reading. ^_^ 


	5. Of Dreams

Disclaimer: Hiten and the world of Inuyasha are creations of Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
AN: I've been toying with this chapter for a while now and decided to just put it up for input.  
  
Chapter Five: Of Dreams  
  
"You can't just leave!" Haruki's spirit flared an angry phosphorus glow. Hiten stood with his back toward the agitated apparition, seemingly unconcerned by his mood.  
"What difference dose it make if I leave the pendent for her to find? I do not see why you are so concerned that its delivered into her hands in person," Tossing the silver disk idly into the air, he laughed to himself as the fox tensed every time it was pulled down by gravity. The spin of the coin shot flickers of the evening light off its metallic surface like a crud gazing ball.  
"What is it that you have against humans? Is it that your scared of them?" The wisp shot back. The dangerous glare he received not enough to deter him from further pressing his point. "That must be it, I can't think of any of reason why you would be so dead set against simply delivering it," Haruki floated in front of the provoked youkai, his arms cross and head tilted back in his signature look. The slight chill that emanated from the disembodied spirit went unnoticed as Hiten tossed that coin higher into the air.  
Crossing his arms, Hiten smirked as the fox demon visibly tensed as the coin began to fall. Clenching his phantom jaw, Haruki was on the verge of panic as the pendent whistled though the air on its path straight towards the ground. Snatching the coin from the air, Hiten relished in the small victory.  
"I do not fear any human, nor do I fear you," tossing the pendant from one hand to the other.  
"You don't, do you? Then what would you say if I decided to haunt you for the rest of your eternal life," Haruki tried to focus his attention away from the dancing silver disk. "If nothing else, would you pass up a meal for the sake of your misguided pride?" Hiten's stomach, as if in agreence, growled its audible answer, he had not eaten much for the past close to two days. "It is sad when your body turns against you," Haruki twisted the verbal barbs.  
"At least I have a body in which to disagree with," Hiten stowed the pendent in the cloth fold of his pale blue belt. The last comment had silenced the fox demon, his only response being the mute sway of his floating form.  
"About that..." Haruki paused, "She wont be able to see me, human senses for the most part are too dull to pick up on spirits." Hiten brow knit as he drew his mouth to a thin line. "Either you'd have to speak for me.. Or.."  
"Or?" stopping his incessant toying with the pendent, Hiten did not like the idea of having to be the go between for an unrestful spirit and a human. The translucent nature of the fox demon's state made it difficult to focus on as the sun passed behind him.  
"Or I could barrow your body, just temporarily of corse." Hiten studied the spirit. "Just to say good bye properly." Was he serious? His thoughts trailing along as the chain of events that lead to Haruki's untimely death replayed in painful detail in an on going cycle. Turning away from the ghostly fox demon, Hiten tried to quiet his troubled thoughts. In the end it was by his hands he was killed, murdered. The scarlet shade of his eyes dimmed, as his eyes starred into space. The tumultuous corse of his mind boxed him in. A metallic coffin of guilt cast into a stormy sea, he was drowning.  
The weight of the blood on his hands pulled him down, sending him to the bottom. His disheartened feelings masked by an only skin deep facade. The tears he wished to spill out of grief and the he longed for darkness which to hide his shame denied merely forced it to be bottled up. Letting a hiss of air out between clenched teeth, Hiten found himself unable to answer any other way than to give permission with a slight silent nod.  
Something about the smile on the fox boy's face sent shivers up his spine, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. The pit of his stomach seemed to fall though the bottom of his gut as he was tried to take a hesitant step back. Like a deer caught in the headlights of an on coming car, Hiten was unable to move.  
"This will be easier if you relax," the wisp of iridescent astral flesh melded against his skin. His vision darkening, a sickening spike of sheer panic shot though his mind as he was losing control. This helpless sensation seemed increasing more prevalent, his empty stomach dispirit to force up what ever contents it held, made him double over in dry heaves.  
His strong grip of life, his will that was inborn that as long as he could remember saw him though seemed to slip. His thoughts faltered allowing his consciousness to fall into a dormant state as Harukai gained control of his body.  
  
* * *  
  
Was he laughing? His thoughts came and went in sporadic flashes. In and out, like flicking connection to a distant place, he could barely make out the echo of his almost hysterical laughter. He felt as though he were in the state of sleep in which you are partially aware of the world, but perception is warped, fogged by a still sleeping mind. The clink of metal echoed and twisted until it resembled the familiar boom of thunder. The soft sigh of cloth resonating to a torrent of a wind storm.  
The depths of his subconscious created the environment he felt alive in. Senses dead to the world beyond his sanctuary became fine tuned for this stormy void. Retreating farther into his citadel, Hiten recreated his past. Changing bits of it with his knowledge of future events. Ever misstep he regretted fixed, put in as he believed it should have been. As the perfection of this dream world came to peak, the creature of his deepest hatred entered. The hanyou that had bested him, his grudge more pronounced by his now seemingly impossible task of revenge.  
Each time he tried to change the out come of that fateful battle, trying to find some degree of victory. Anywhere, any little bit he could pull out seemed beyond his grasp. The bite of the demon blade still sharp, not dulled in memory. Keen senses reliving the near death repeatedly set his mind on the verge of near insanity. Alone, always alone and dying no matter the greatest efforts on his part. The wounds bleed anew, flesh parted again in the viscous cycle.  
He was trapped by the perfection of his own design, unable to accept that if he tried again thing would not end up the same way. Like a fixed pair of dice with had ones on ever face, he always rolled snake eyes. Tears welled in his eyes as he held the dream shadow of his brother. The smell of blood fresh, the despair renewed with each beat of heart, heated to a fever pitch of continuous effort to no avail or relief. To make it stop was to accept death, but to go on seemed just as dark a path to follow.  
His mind stirred, trying to flee this nightmare. The momentary glimpses of the world became more real, more attainable. His hyper sensitive senses rang with an almost painful recognition of reality. His fantasy world crumbled around him, the shadows of his family he had once had dissipated, his ears almost hearing them cry out for him to stay. To try again in his guaranteed doom.  
Half choked sobs and hot tears brought him to his knees. The depths he would never reveal to anyone remained hidden. The darkness of this place removed from the world he knew as reality served to hide him. Its opaque vale pulled snugly around him. Proud demon reverted to an earlier state, although still burdened by recent events. The strain tore him from his safe introverted surroundings, forcing him back into control of his body.  
  
* * *  
  
Slowly he drew his eyes open, allowing a few salty tears to ran down his face. Disoriented and sick, Hiten grappled with his churning stomach as the world slowed in its spin. Short blonde bangs fade with the dispersion of a demon fox's illusion, his free tresses of jet black hair falling like spilled ink down his back. His barely opened eyes shaded by his dark lashes, gazed in a sleepy manner as his head ached from metal stress. Unable to pull free of the stupor, he sluggishly came to acknowledge that warmth he held to his chest. The curls of auburn hair he had tanged his hands in glowed with the artificial light cast upon its glossy strands. For fleeting moments, he wished for nothing more than to sink down into warm bliss, free of dream or nightmare.  
The foggy layer on his mind was quickly torn away by realizations. The searing pain behind his eyes made his short temper snap as he jerked her away from him. His hands pulled free, snagging but disentangled by a quick yank. His piercing gaze analyzing her unrelentingly. Human. She was nothing more that an simple human. Slim of form and stature standing only up to his shoulder, he could easily be done with this in a bloodless snap of her neck. She simply looked up at him, mouth slightly open in a wordless expression. A similarity of dress struck a cord in his memory. Such usual clothing could not be mistaken for anything more than what they were. The green pelted skirt and green scarf were the same as that girls, that mere mortal that contributed to his downfall. The drum of his heart pounding in his head made if difficult to think though his actions as he shoved her away, sending her crashing to the floor in a flutter of her skirt.  
Glaring down at her, she squirmed under his gaze. The air crackled with charged youkai power as he would make quick work of her. Stopped cold, an intruding presence reentered his mind. Its objective no longer control, it struck out at any exposed emotional weaknesses, pushing his strained mental state to the point of collapse. Haruki materialized between Hiten and the girl. His ethereal form faded, the spirit weakened by over exertion. The rising feeling of what appeared betrayal, set his jaw, the head ache worsening as he gnashed his demonic fangs together.  
Body weak from hunger and mind fatigued to dull perception, Hiten's faltering train of thought splintered into unfocused bits. Despising the pattern that had started to establish itself, Hiten took a sliding step back, the back of his legs met with a plush cushion of a chair. Too listless to stop his momentum from continuing back, he slid into the large recliner. His weighted eye lids unable or unwilling to be forced to remain open, he slipped back into deep slumber. Dreamless as he was mercifully to worn to endure more self punishing visions.  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
AN: Please review! 


	6. Crash Course

Disclaimer: Hiten and the world of Inuyasha are creations of Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
AN: I really must thank Rainy for this one. I read her last review and got around to thinking about how Hiten would adjust. I've rewritten this chapter at least dozen times trying to avoid making Hiten's character fluffy...By the way...  
  
Special thanks to everyone that reviewed! You know who you are! ~.^  
  
Chapter Six: Crash Course  
  
Taking a deep, drawn out breath, Hiten gradually brought himself out of the depths of his dreamless slumber. Flexing slack fingers, the blanket that had been draped over him some time after he fell asleep slipped down from his shoulders allowing a slight chill of the air in though his thin clothes. Opening sleepy eyes, he sat for a few moments gazing across the room. Not sure where it was he woke, at the current time not particularly caring.  
The soft morning light poured in though a pair of windows along the wall behind him. The quiet warmth like a place he had enjoyed visiting many times before, but seemingly unable to remember exactly where it was. Muffled music threatened to lull him back to sleep. Enjoying more that anything this time which he took to wake himself, he was in no rush to get up.  
The pleasant smell of food drifted to his sensitive nose. His starved body, drawn like a nail to a magnet, rose sluggishly from his comfortable seat. The plush give of the carpet under his bare feet another small pleasure. Letting the utopic state of mind cloud any other train of thought, he dodged emotional turmoil that hovered at the edge of his mind. His unrestrained hair flowed around him as he moved. Curiously taking inventory of the garments her currently wore, he found a half buttoned white long sleeve shirt and a pair of loose fitting black pants. He marked a mental note to find out where his armor had been stashed later.  
Taking in another deep breathe, Hiten identified the sent of that human girl. The memory of her came into clear and vibrant memory. Catching himself before letting his wandering mind free, he put what he remembered into order. The haunting nightmares would not be pushed aside even as he stood awake. There was no way to hide from himself, from his past, be it years ago or mere moments. Reining himself in, he tried to make up for any emotional freedom that had stretched itself farther than he felt comfortable with, that had exposed him to such damage.  
Looking around the large room, he noted several objects that appeared to be of interest, at least enough to investigate. The high pitched ring that shattered the silence, make him grasp for where his spear would have rested on his back, in its sling. Turning on the balls of his feet, he found himself looking down at a black contoured box. Feeling a bit foolish, Hiten swallowed his now adrenaline pumped nerves, thankful no one has seen him, his pride had already been drag though the dirt enough as of late. The ringing came again, tilting his head to the side, Hiten peered down at it. What purpose did this noisy article serve? Bending his knees, he lowered himself down until he was eye level with the small end table the ringing box sat on. Stretching his youkai senses to the limit, he certain there was no one around to observe his child like curiosity. Unsure whether it would be wise to touch, he reached a hesitant finger toward it.  
"Hi! Tash here! Umuri, where are you?" A shrill voice sang out from the box. Pausing, now unsure if the voice was addressing him, Hiten listened as the voice continued. "I hope you've heard from your brother. I'll see you in class! Chow!" The room grew quiet as the ring of the tinny voice faded.  
"Do you do that often?" Retracting his hand in the same motion standing in a rush, Hiten came face to face with Haruki. His spirit dimmed but there none the less. Feeling trapped, a flush threatened to rise onto Hiten's face. "Its used to communicate with people that are far out of voice range," The fox explained as if it were as obvious if it were written on the phone itself. Shrugging off his momentary embarrassment, Hiten eyed the fox. Finding is easier to become angry, Hiten splayed his feet into a more commandeering stance.  
"If you can tare yourself away from explaining the nuances of foolish mortals, can you tell me exactly what happened? You did not tell me that taking over my body would send me into a mental snare of razor wire," Hiten spat. He could have forgone the revisiting of hurtful memories that even before hand did not lie far below the surface.  
"If I had told you, would you have agreed to it?" The spirit shrugged, unconcerned by the polar switch of mood made my the thunder demon. Hiten, narrowing his eyes to a fiery glare, give no other answer. "Although I did not expect you to force me out like that and then try to kill my sister," The apparition growled out the last bit. His eyes a dangerous flare, matching Hiten glare for fevered glare. "Being forced to react as I did, was dispirit, pulling your weaknesses apart like that. But you left me with no choice." Hiten turned away, looking else were he hadn't exactly intentionally take his body back over by force, but when comforted with your darkest of near insanity and nightmares one dose not always act rationally.  
"So that was your sister?" Hiten changed the subject, avoiding expanding upon an inflamed metal wound. The brief moments he had had her in his arms, he had wanted to stay that way came flooding back to the forefront of his mind. His mouth drew a thin line as he cursed his weakness, this could only be seen as an after thought that was of a considerable degenerating nature on his part. The roller coaster that had become his state of mind must have taken its toll on him. She was just a human, mortal and temporary in all aspects.  
"Don't you dare touch her," Haruki snarled. His tail bristling, his body, if it could be called that, taut trying to emanate an intimidating form. Dawning his classic smirk, Hiten turned back to face the fox demon. He actually hadn't intended to deal with her, but now that the fox mentioned it, he didn't have to say couldn't see exactly what could be gained by it.  
"You are not in any position to stop me," thrusting his hand though the spirit's form, Hiten's point stuck home. With out attacking his now more or less stable mind set, Haruki was powerless. His attack upon the thunder demon's mind had taken advantage of the extreme mental fatigue, a frontal assault now would be far more difficult, if it could be done at all. Only responding with balled fists and venomous glares, Hiten could only laugh to himself as the fox made ever attempt to see if a look could kill. Hoping it was particularly fatal to thunder youkai.  
A faint feminine voice caught the attention of both demons. Hiten tensed again, he had grown far less confident in his abilities in his brief stray in this time. Fighting with his habitual boldness and the possibility that this confrontation may not end in his favor, the thunder demon clicked his teeth together trying to come to a decision quickly. The voice faded, Hiten letting out breath he had unknowingly been holding.  
His stomach seizing the opportune silence to be heard, growling a viscous cry for sustenance. The mood lightened as Hiten glanced down at his noisy gut.  
"Ah, one of the advantages to not having a body," Haruki mused. "Although I do miss the taste of food. I suppose you would be hungry after not eating for three days," The spirit floated into a separate subsection of the large room. The area set aside by a counter and a few stools. Hiten paused, finally deciding following would be the most expedient way to get food.  
  
* * *  
  
Hiten sat in the recliner, rather pleased with himself. It had not taken him very long to figure out that leaning back in the chair, a foot rest would present itself. His stomach satisfied despite the strange taste of the food, he was no worse for wear because for it. He had expected to have to force himself to eat detestable human food, he was more than relieved to find it a bit more to his liking. Having ventured into the few other rooms that split off of the main room, Haruki had been very helpful even if Hiten hadn't admitted it. Borrowing a comb, Hiten had preened his hair and re-braided it, the process easily preformed by his adept hands. Smiling to himself, he found it almost out of place to have this momentary reprieve. The sudden change of tempo leaving him faltering, as if waiting for the next disaster.  
"Where did you say your sister was?" Hiten opened his eyes, a full stomach and comfortable chair had put him in an uncharacteristic laziness. Although after three days of hunger, mental trauma and frustration, he wasn't knocking it.  
"She is at school, she'll within the hour," Haruki lay stretched out in the air, his arms behind his head. It wasn't that Hiten didn't like him or couldn't get a long with him, in fact that morning had passed with little mishap as side from the occasional verbal volleys. The fox wasn't as submissive as Manten, but not having a body had averted any physical reprisals.  
"I should be going then," Standing, Hiten stretched in synchronous with a toothy yawn. Although it was enticing to stay, he didn't like letting that momentary lapse that could be skewed as feelings for a human be an excuse for him to live with or even close to one.  
"Oh? You take my sister's hospitality and then you leave before even thanking her?" Haruki righted himself, giving a half hearted gesture toward the kitchen before continuing. "You know its not taboo like it used to be, a human and demon couple I mean." Hiten bristled, he didn't like the suggestion in the least. He didn't even know her name, laughing it off without a second thought he squared his shoulders toward the spirit.  
"My thanks to her will be to spare he life. I was also under the impression you didn't want me to touch your dear sister," the thunder youkai's lips peeled back in a demonic smile. "I was also under the impression you didn't want her to get involved with the dealings of that bitch." Turning on his heel Hiten strode toward the apartment's door, Haruki in tow.  
"Don't kid yourself, she is already involved," Haruki drifted around him. Reaching for the door knob in silence, Hiten would avoid contact with humans, at least on friendly terms, as much as possible. It was far too ingrained in his character to look down on them to just throw it to the wind. What good would it do to get to know a human anyway? They just die after fifty or sixty years and he would remain. Getting to know them is just setting yourself up for grief later. Hiten justified his actions, as if trying to prove to himself that he was right. Of corse he was right, why was he even doubting it in the first place?  
Before Hiten could reply, the clink of a key in the door made interrupted the conversation. Glancing around, Hiten once again cursed the little human that dare destroy his means of flight, he was too high up and the building was too far removed from others of similar height to go out a window. He was trapped, he had no choice but to go past the human.  
The door knob started to turn, the door swung open and he was face to face with the human girl. The honey curls framed her face, apparently surprised to find him there in the entrance. Opening his mouth to speak, Hiten found him a little short on things to say. To say the least social dealings with humans was a bit lacking, but why couldn't he say anything? Feeling suddenly vulnerable without his armor, he scolded himself for not inquiring where it was earlier.  
"Hi there," She recovered first, stepping into the apartment, although not closing the door, no quiet trusting enough to close off her means of escape. Pulling himself back together, Hiten made his best effort to compose himself. Why was she confronting him? This is most disturbing, she isn't scared...well... he could smell a bit of fear in the air, she wasn't scared enough not to talk to him anyway.  
"Hello," He mimic, why was this being so difficult? He looked her over as she placed her book bag on the table in the hall. She wasn't a demoness, but she was not without a feminine figure. Her clothing wasn't exactly the most modest of out fits he had seen either. A faint tinge of a blush spread across his face, Haruki was laughing at him. What was so funny? He glare in the apparition's direction, trying his best not to look ruffled.  
"Ah, the thunder demon isn't as cold as one would be lead to believe," the fox demon mocked. The school girl didn't even seem to hear the banter of her adopted brother, as she turned back to face Hiten. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Hiten felt rather childish. He wasn't a young, pure youth that was so easily caught off guard. He couldn't banish the feel of her hair, the warmth against him. Was it because he had never held a human in such a way before that was throwing him off so much.  
"Hiten, right?" She put on her best smile. Haruki had explained quite a bit about him and the most valuable favor he had preformed by allowing use of his body. Hard to swallow but without any other explanation for why her brother had suddenly changed, or rather was replaced by a completely different person, she had no choice but to accept it for now. Finding out one's close family is a demon after years of living with them can make just about anything believable.  
"You seem to have me at the disadvantage then. You are?" Putting his best foot forward, Hiten decided to entertain this conversation long enough to find out what he needed to know and then make a hasty exit. He put on his trade mark smirk to hide his failing nerve. A human that lingered in his presence willingly was a bit daunting. Is it possible she knew something he didn't? Was she a threat or simply ignorant?  
  
To be continued...  
  
AN: Yeah! Hiten is mentally and physically in one piece at the end of this chapter! That's a first.  
  
Please review, this was a difficult chapter to think though, while preserving the characters. I may revise this chapter depending on how things turn out. So what do you think should happen next? I'm kinda stuck at the fork in the road on this fic. 


	7. Angel

Disclaimer: Hiten and the world of Inuyasha are creations of Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
AN: After getting that last chapter up, I've gotten back into the rhythm. Yeah! Thanks for waiting for so long!  
  
Chapter Seven: Angel  
  
Hiten gazed down at the lights of the alien vehicles which zipped by below. His precarious perch on the rail of the balcony of Haruki's sister placed his back toward the door. The balls of his feet on the rail, knees drawn up Hiten toyed with the possibilities of his survival if he was to fall. Although the six story drop would most likely not kill him out right, he could injure himself well enough.  
The quiet click and whisper of air as the door behind him was opened informed him that Haruki sister had come into his presence. An odd thought cross his mind, had his brother been able to complete his unfinished tasks? Shaking himself mentally, Hiten banished the thought. Both he and his brother could be considered adult demons, last ditch efforts to appease the soul was reserved for the very young, like his sister...  
"Ah... excuse me," A small voice pulled Hiten from his thoughts. Looking over his shoulder, he paused, observing the girl. The deep honey colored curls that hung around her neck contrasted with dark brown eyes. Her lightly tanned skin, suggested that she did see some sun. The sent of grass and the slight tone of muscle lent her a sleek but, promising figure. He stopped his thoughts, already well aware where they were straying. This girl was depressingly nothing more than human, estimating her age in her late teens. He would have preferred to be left alone, he turned his attention back to the street below. Leaving to no where in particular didn't seem to be any better an option.  
"What is it?" Hiten watched the loose tail of hair at the end of his braid sway in the morning breeze.  
"Do you know how very pathetic you look just sitting there?" Jerking his head around Hiten focused on none other than Midori. Haruki's sister squirmed in her grasp, Midori's hand firmly clamped over her mouth and nose. "I really can't let you get comfortable, its so much harder to uproot you later." Hiten's lips curled back in an animalistic snarl. His weight shifting to a crouch, ready to attack. The muffled scream of the human girl let Hiten a fork in the road whether to act or for an opportunity to present itself.  
"Let her go!" Harukai made himself known as he slipped though the wall. His translucent form had nearly dissipated.  
"Oh you are still lingering here," Midori kept her eyes focused on Hiten as she spoke. "Such a pretty little angel your sister is," she spoke in low mummer. Her grip twisting the girls neck a fraction more. The visible strain tempting just a hair more to snap her neck.  
"You make an easy target holding that little human wench you know." Hiten spat in a mocking tone. The air crackled with gathering power.  
"Temper, temper, I thought you didn't care for humans." The silvered glint of a knife flashed in Midori's opposite hand. "What is it you see in her? It can't be the body." The of the blade slice through the shirt and cut a neat but only superficial line across her stomach. "You hardly know her. How is it you come to want to protect her?" Midori's dark eyes hardened with jealousy and malice. Her attention drew momentarily away from Hiten.  
Hiten had been studying her and saw his chance. He could easily grab the blade from her mere-mortal grasp and kill her with her own blade. His muscles tensed as his snatched the opportunity. The thunder demon leaped from the rail, reaching for the blade. Unnatural speed saw the girl's throat slice and her stomach Ripped open in a spray of blood. Her breathless death scream cut short by the snap of his fragile neck.  
"Did I forget to mention I found myself a new little demon pet?" Hiten's narrow miss and catastrophic mistake left his thought process faltering. "Tough luck." Midori shoved the dead girl's body toward him. The sorceress touched the crimson blade to her lips, sucking sadistically on the blood. "You know, there is only one thing to do with angels. Send them back to heaven." The white shirt Hiten became soaked with blood. Now was his chance to strike, but his body refused to move. His muscles were frozen in place. He doubted his ability to move. Any faith he had had in his demon powers was utterly crushed.  
The heart, not yet ready to give up life, pumped the scarlet liquid from the human form. Hiten felt the fear of death sink into his very soul. Her eyes stared up at him. Their deep brown nearly blocked out by the over sized pupils. He shivered, his skin crawled, goose flesh prickled all over his body. So often had death visited those around him, he would never be used to their eyes. His visit to deaths door made this sensation all the more realistic. Their piecing stare watching him.  
It was not like Haruki's death. His eyes had been close. His body snatched by death in split seconds, the heart stopped in the very instant of death. Quite and quick, come and gone with the darkness that snatched the breath from the fox demon's body. But this was a far different death, the body refused to accept its' sudden termination in the prime of life. The blood poured down his front. Runnels snaked though the cloth covering his thighs. The warm moisture quickly going cold in the open air. This is what his death would have been like. In his time, this is how he had died, only to be brought back in this hellish time. His eyes red as the blood would have stared out into space, his slit pupils round open. Human or demon it was their gaze that haunted him.  
His hands shook. He wish to drop her frail form, to let it go, but his muscles refused to do more than tremble.  
"You make it seem like you've never killed one of them before. Please, don't tell me you've never let their blood drip over you in a macabre shower." Midori whispered mere inches from his ear. His tried to let his temper go, become angry, anything to break fears grip on him. "Hmph, how can you care for them just like your sister." The spell snapped by the mention of his sister. Hiten grasp the front of her cloak, the corpse dropping with the sick thunk into the pool of blood that had gathered there. Caught off guard by his bi-polar reaction, Midori was caught like a fox in a bear trap. His powerful hands twisted into her cloak, chocking the sorceress.  
Lifting her from the ground, Hiten's wrath would not allow her room to speak much less breath else she get away. His solid purchase on Midori herself empowered only the will on to crush her neck to a slurry of shattered bone and flesh pulp. Her feet weakly kicked out at him, doing no more than a fly trying to beat down a brick wall.  
"Where is my sister!?" He barked. He bore down on her with his unrelenting gaze. "Tell me where she is!" his control over his hands slipping as the growled out his demand. His fangs became more pronounced as he gnashed them together. The forgotten blade slice into his forearm. The vertical cut stabbed, leaving his arm skewered. Dropping Midori, he wrenched the blade out not caring if he caused more damage. The sorceress scrambled out from under him, desperate to get away. Her steps faltering on the slick and uneven surface of the body. Taking a slash at her retreating form, Hiten only managed to slice her cloak as his disappear in s whirl of icy wind.  
Midori knew of his sister and he would tear down every one of these great buildings to find her.  
  
To be Continued...  
  
AN: This chapter is a little shorter than usually, but I thought this was a good place to stop. The theme and plot are finally starting to develop. This was really a rather dark chapter. I guess listening to Evanesces will do that to you. I tried to tie everything about his character, especially his devotion to his siblings into this. (Souten, Hiten's sister only appears in the anime.) Thanks for reading! Please review! 


	8. More Human All the Time

Disclaimer: Hiten and the world of Inuyasha are creations of Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
AN: Well its been a while since I updated, I was really pondering where to go from where I left off. But I think I finally managed to work out the direction I'm going in. Yeah!  
  
Chapter Eight: More Human All the Time  
  
Head bowed, a demon walked among them. None the wiser to how close they brushed with death as he slipped past. Mumbled niceties for rude brushes and crushed feet fell on deaf ears as he silently disappeared into the crowd. The long, dark cloak was drawn tightly around him unsuccessfully tried to keep him separate from their invading presence. The unwieldy, flat box trucked under his arm contained the last bit of his past, his identity, his armor.  
Hiten paused in chance parting of the mass of humans that congested the city sidewalk. A brief look skyward allowed him to try and place that particular part of the sky before he was swept up in the press of people. The sky. The only thing that had not changed to an unrecognizable state, but still not able to lend him direction. The blue hue of the heavens seemed less vibrant and the clouds were no longer of their colorless nature as he remembered. Even the air which he drew in on his drawn out breath seemed less life giving. 'Heh, demons stop being the population control on these vermin and they ruin the very environment they live in.' He found that his own company was some how less lonely when he confided in himself.  
His heart thumped with an urgency to seek out his sister and protect her. But time was cruel and changed the land. These humans had carved mountains and leveled forests; building towering buildings and sprawling paved ribbons which bound, tamed the land. Any hope he had of find home, the castle in the clouds per say, was next to impossible.  
Sloshing through a filmed puddle made his nose wrinkle. 'Filthy, disgusting humans, they are to blame.' In a desperate attempt to give his emotions a target, he found himself falling back on the truth that had let him slaughter them in his now seemingly fanciful past. After several hours of fruitless attempts to find a land mark that would allow him to return to his home Hiten found himself frustrated and drained. Haruki completely disappeared without a word after his sisters death and Midori... he'd rather not think of that wench.  
Glancing at his free hand, his thin lips were creased further in a deepening frown. The smell of blood never really bothered him all that much. But it was more than the sent of her blood that clung to him. The mixture of odors that made up her individual sent added a sickeningly sweet edge which made his stomach turn. How could these humans walk by him and not smell it on him? Her fear and death hung over him like a cloud. 'Humans really are inferior little creatures aren't they,' he sneered.  
A small group of giggling human girls approached him. His eyes narrowing as his hate for that uniform rose. The seemingly innocent mix of white and green taunted him. Subconsciously he registered some one taking particular interest in him. He was being watched, bored into by eyes around him. A boy which he had not noticed before paused mid stride to look. One of the girls from the group looked back at him as he fell behind. Exchanging scrutinizing glares, Hiten tried to place this human's face. It seem to familiar, yet the long black hair and dark eyes were out of place. The human seemed to know him well enough, his lips drawn into a thin line and eye brows arched down as he stood unmoving before him.  
"Inuyasha, come on!" one of the girls cried. Hiten narrowed his eyes. Had he heard wrong? Was his mind playing cruel tricks on him? This human did resemble the hanyou, but lacked the vibrant yellow eyes and silvered hair. And where was the unmistakable red out fit? His fist clenched as the human continued to watch him. "Inuyasha come... on!" The girl began to drag the boy along. Shifting his line of sight from the boy, Hiten paused. That girl. It's that girl! She was identical to the one he hated so. the memory of her that lay burned into his mind rose to the surface. The shifting mass of humans fluctuated, shoving the shocked demon forward a half step to catch his balance. He had blinked and they were gone. Disappeared back into the crowed. Pressing through the seething mass, Hiten dove after them. There was no mistake. She was the same girl, the same wrenched human girl that had a hand in his defeat and his brother's death. He wasn't sure how they could have been there, but he was sure that indeed they were.  
Was his luck this bad or was it his karma that was catching up with him? He had seen them. They were so close that if he had reached out, he could have touched them and they managed to fade away into the background, slip through his fingers just like that. Angry mumbles from the seemingly faceless humans added to his compounding mood. Not only was he lost and unable to find any means of getting home, he had missed his chance to have the revenge which he had long since though was out of his reach. His free hand flexed as the air became charged. The crackle of energy and the slight sent of ozone flowed around him. Frustrated beyond words, Hiten decided he could simply turn these mortals to ash, all of them. Surely they hadn't gotten far enough away to avoid it. He would kill all them to slate this need for revenge.  
The boy bumped his shoulder as he passed from the opposite direction. His gate pausing to affirm that he had purposely disrupted the demon's concentration. As he continued past, Hiten slipped after him. 'He must have appeared, been flushed out, to spare the street full of humans,' Hiten justified. Ducking after the boy into a narrow ally, Hiten smiled demonically, letting his fangs shine white against his lips. The boy paused before turning half turning towards him. Was he trembling or was his imagination running away with him?  
"How are you alive?" The unmistakable voice of the hanyou emanated from the mortal body. Hiten eyed the boy. The sure signs of a human trying to hide their fear marked the boy's every move.  
"You are very bold for a human, don't you think?" Hiten stood boldly, his feet splayed shoulder width apart, back straight and his chin turn slightly skyward in a condescending tilt. The human, now confirmed as Inuyasha, spun on his heel to square his shoulders to him. Even though his body had changed his attitude certainly had not. How easily the boy was goaded.  
"I killed with my own two hands! How can you still be alive?!" His body tensed as he squared off with the demon.  
"When you left me I wasn't quite dead. You left me dying on the ground. Very sloppy work and mistake you wont live much longer to regret." His knuckles cracked as Hiten readied himself to attack. A warning ran down his spine just before he sprung into action. The air in the ally way suddenly became thick, gaining a white-pink glow to it. "Miko power?" He growled out more to himself than to the hanyou. How is it that he came across humans with unnatural powers? It must be his karma again. The girl stepped out from behind Inuyasha. Kagome made herself known with a show of awakened power.  
"I will not allow you to harm anyone." Hiten eyed this girl. She was slightly older in appearance but the way she acted, the way she carried herself was drastically different. Her powers had increased many fold and she stood before him without fear. Warnings continued through his system. His tensed muscles refused to budge. Trying to take her on would not be the wisest of choices. The three stood in silence, frozen in that moment. Covering his distress with his trade mark smirk, Hiten straighten his stance from his attack position. Someone must be laughing at him right about now.  
"Kagome, was it?..."  
  
Cautiously Hiten ascended the temple steps. He had tentatively agreed to follow the pair to this place after deciding there was no where else to go and it was rather clear they would not allow him to go along on his way. The girl's display earlier crushed any hope he had of killing her, but in the back of his mind he relished the thought of catching Inuyasha alone. Obviously human, he would have no problem ripping him to shreds. Pin him against a wall and watch him squirm as he tore his insides with his powerful claws. Images of the human girl he had held dying flashed before his minds eye. Her entrails ripped from her body, blood flowing in a seemingly endless stream. His stomach retched as his hand covered his mouth out of reflex. Was he sick? 'I'm a demon for crying out loud,' Hiten scolded himself. No, there would be no question. He could and would kill Inuyasha if the opportunity arose.. The memory of the bitter tears he had shed for his brother reaffirmed his resolve. If he could just bid his time until he was alone.  
The demonic smile appeared again. They were so trusting. At least the miko was. The hanyou had put up a bit of an argument when she had suggested he follow in the first place. But, he had agreed that simply letting him go wasn't an option. An unspoken agreement did not go unnoticed by the thunder demon. They never once suggested killing him.  
The heavy soles of the boots Hiten now wore caught on the edge of on of the last steps, bring him back to the present to avoid an ungraceful fall. How he longed for his light cloth shoes. How he longed for the past. Hiten's face softened with an unsatiable anguish. Passing under the arch at the top of the stairs, Hiten observed the sprawling temple complex. The prickle of barrier energy racked over him as he trailed behind the couple. A calming sensation taking hold despite his drive to stay alert. As they walked pass an aged tree, Hiten smiled to himself in this almost drunken state of mind. Pausing before the entrance, a oddly familiar feeling worked its way into his being. The old style of building made him feel more at home. This was something he longed for. Something that was from the past, like he was. A part of the time that he lost, but tried to hold onto in some small way. His grip subconsciously tightened on the box he still held under his arm.  
Refocusing on the pair of humans, Hiten found himself unable to raise his fury. Was it the power of this place or was he sinking into a deeper depression? Their shoes slipped off and slippers were put on before stepping onto the raised wooded floor. Kagome pause for a moment and picked up a pair of slippers which he held out to the dazed demon. Following suit, Hiten kicked off the heavy boots he had acquired while Haruki inhabited his body, Hiten clutched the box which contained his armor. Like a security blanket, he could feel them watching him as he slipped his feet into the soft slippers. He suppressed a small smile that threatened to surface as he stretched and wiggled his toes in the comfortable footwear which reminded him of his favorite pair of worn shoes.  
Their eyes burrowed into him, an unwavering and piercing in particular kept vigil. Was he being lured into a trap? He stopped to consider the possibility. In his sudden boldness to hide his surprise he hadn't considered the possibility that he was being led like a lamb to the slaughter.  
Their low conversation ended with Inuyasha tromping off with a disrespectful 'feh' leaving Kagome standing before him. Although not fair, Hiten made note that could still feel the hanyou or was it now simple human watching him. Her smile seemed disarming, all understanding, and forgiving at the same time. He found himself unable to meet her gaze, like he was suddenly ashamed of many things, one of which being standing before her.  
"Your sister will be glade to see you, I'm sure." Her head tilted slightly as though genuinely pleased with herself. He stood there, looking slightly up to be swallowed by her dark eyes. Looking past her, Hiten caught a glimpse of inky black hair in the door way beyond. Letting the air which he didn't know he had been hold go the sudden connection was made with what she had said.  
"You know my sister?" His voice betrayed him as he made eye contact again. His state of unnatural emotions brought on by the strange power of this place and his general confusion meshed together to uncharacteristic excitement. Like a small boy who had just discovered a frog after a long day in waist deep water and muck, Hiten had spoken without thinking or taking any time to compose himself. Feeling his cheeks start to flush, he looked away from her again. 'I must be running a fever.' He nursed his ego which was now suffering from self inflicted injuries.  
  
To be continued...  
  
AN: Few! This chapter took a lot of revision and time didn't it? It was a bit difficult to make it flow like I wanted it to. Please review! Thanks. 


	9. Burning Bridges

Disclaimer: Hiten and the world of Inuyasha are creations of Rumiko Takahashi.

AN: I've been mulling over this chapter for a while and decided just to give it a shot and get it down for now. I also changed the format a bit so its easier to read.

Chapter Nine: Burning Bridges

Leaning his head back, Hiten let his scarlet gaze stare up into the canopy of the ancient tree. His precarious perch in its tangle of branches granted him some degree of privacy from the aggravating hanyou or was it human, he still wasn't sure what to call him. Even now he could feel Inuyasha's eyes on him. The earlier twist of events weighed on his mind more than anything else. He watched the evening sky as the first of the stars started to shine down through the gaps in the foliage. Letting out a heavy sigh, the thunder demon let the words echo in his mind.

His usual confident nature had been completely undermined. His stomach grumbled its complaints, scolding his pride for preventing him from eating. It hadn't taken much for the delicate situation to decay into a border line violent confrontation. Wriggling his toes, Hiten subconsciously noted that he had abandon his boots in the entry way of the house when he had stormed out. Curling his fingers protectively around his concealed armor, his thoughts drifted to meeting his sister after so much time had passed for her but so little for him. 'Will she be ashamed of me?' He had supposedly died an honorable death. She, although sad at his passing, would have held her head high, proud of him.

The doubts that he had kept hidden and the shame he felt for failing his brother weighed heavily on him as his shoulders drooped. Brought out of his self pity, his muscles grew tense as he mentally hissed the hanyou's name.

"What do you want?" the thunder demon spat, suddenly feeling out of his element, vulnerable. Not bothering to look below, Hiten acknowledged Inuyasha as he casually crossed his arms and leaned against the trunk of the massive tree.

"This is my tree. If you don't like it you can leave," the hanyou retorted, tilting his head just to add to his hostile stance. Slipping out of the tree, Hiten landed lightly on his socked feet. Giving his braid a defiant flick with his free hand, he paused for effect before answering.

"So that is why it reeks," he baited. The lack of reaction from the other fueling his temper. Tensing before shrugging off the insult, Inuyasha decided he could agitated the demon more by not responding. The air grew thick as the moment dragged on. Energy crackled as Hiten's short temper slipped away. "Its too bad you're human. It will be so hard to not kill you quickly," he ground out between exposed teeth. Turning on his heel, Hiten could only smirk at the now trapped Inuyasha.

His human eyes betraying the underlying fear as Inuyasha tried to reign himself in. How he hated being right at this moment. Kagome had misjudged how much the thunder demon had changed. Pushing himself off the trunk of the tree only to be slammed back into by the clawed hand of the youkai, Inuyasha gave a chocked gasp as Hiten's talons pieced his chest. "Was it worth it?" Hiten laughed as he started to close his hand around the exposed sternum. A questioning glare flicking across the hanyou's face before he squeezed his eyes shut again. His futile attempts to dislodge the death grip went unnoticed by his attacker.

The racing but, fragile pulse under his finger tips seemed to fall into sync with drumming beat in Hiten's ears. The position of power, boosting his battered ego, Hiten watched the hanyou squirm. The tough cartilage around the sternum gave a stressed snap as powerful digits continued their carving trails to the bone, youkai fangs flashing dangerously close to the hanyou's unguarded neck. Sink his teeth in like a predator and suffocating his prey, Hiten's youkai nature ran entertaining scenarios throughout his mind to over ride any conscious thoughts. Inuyasha heaved to draw in air before he threw his head back in a anguished scream.

Snapping awake from his blood lust, memories of Manten's death cry rung in his ears. Dislodging his hand, Hiten took a faltering step back as the bloodied hanyou slid down the tree. The box under his arm, all but forgotten, slipped form his slackened grip to burst open on impact, his armor clattered upon the stone walkway. Only a split second registered before searing pain engulfed the youkai. The blinding white-pink light swirling in enraged plumes scorching his exposed skin, bring him to the edge of passing out before unceremoniously dropping him on the icy pavement. Landing with a sickened thunk, Hiten's fleeting thoughts including a voice mocking him, something about karma.

Opening his eyes, which had some how managed to be spared at the last possible moment, his vision dimmed at the edges, creating a tunnel. His body in shock, Hiten shivered only to bite back a cry of agony as charred skin twitched. The chilled stone did little to ease the pains of burned flesh. He could only stare out at the world from half lidded eyes, another voice wondering if he was going to die for real this time. Taking in a labored breath, aching nerves lit up again with renewed fury. 'Can't do much right can you?' one of the more dominant voices in his head accused. 'You can't protect your brother, can't avenge him, can't kill a human wench, can't find your way home... you can't even die right, can you?' Hiten groaned as he instinctively covered his ears with his blacked hands. Squeezing his eyes shut, the voice continued it's torment, unfazed.

"Just die already," he mumbled to himself. 'That's right, just die,' the voice echoed, changing pitch to a more feminine range. His eyes grew watery as he could only imagine how deeply he has shamed his sister, his family. Scorched skin stung bitterly as the salty liquid snaked along the edges where the smooth skin met the burnt. Low mummers, muffled by his hands gathered close. 'Is there nothing I can do?' he asked himself.

'You can just die...'

AN: Well, this chapter turned out a bit shorter than I had originally intended, but its been a while since I updated. I started writing the chapters a bit out of order so I'll cut it off here so they fit correctly. A few surprise guests are showing up in the next chapter! So please review!


	10. Past to Present

Disclaimer: Hiten and the world of Inuyasha are creations of Rumiko Takahashi.

AN: Special thanks to everyone that reviewed and have been reviewing all along! It really keeps me going.

Chapter Ten: Past to Present

Oppressive darkness. Slowly opening his eyes, Hiten found himself laying flat upon his back. Holding his breathe, he lay completely still, listening. He was somewhere else, somewhere new. 'Am I dead?' Slowly blinking, Hiten continued to stare up at the shadows of a wood ceiling. His gifted vision etching shadows out of the general darkness, he traced the outline massive beams which supported the roof. The over powering reek of char and salve assaulted his nose. The give of tightly bound bandages pressed into tender flesh as he rolled onto his side, his queasy stomach promising greater discomfort if he tried to sit up.

Flexing a hand, which now resembled a fin after bandaging, Hiten affirmed that he was still living. The slimy shift of the cloth suggested that the skin beneath was free of the anchorage granted by the muscles and bone. Letting go of a heavy sigh, he morbidly pondered the extent of the damage. The throbbing ache of open wounds intensified as his attention focused on them. He was growing tired of these debilitating experiences, one would think he would be long dead by now.

The hollow thump of footsteps upon the wooden porch just beyond the wall, alerted him to the approach of several people. As the shoji was slip open, a slat of light banded his cloth covered back, his front falling in shadow as the bar hit the far wall. The illumination granted Hiten the first real look at the room he had woke up in. The walls were lined with assorted boxes, the shelves cluttered with a range of items both with and without boxes; he found himself in a storage room. The mix of parchment paper, cheap cardboard, and substantial wooden chests cast an equally miss matched assortment of shadows around the room. The occasional bottle or jar dotted the clutter, its shine adding a fleck of interest to the mass of containers.

Artificial lights came to life, bursting with their soft glow as it drove painful throbs to redoubled efforts behind Hiten's eyes. Still with his back to whom ever had come to visit him, Hiten lay motionless, waiting for them to make their move. As they stepped into the room the shoji slid shut, sealing the room from the outside. Faint puffs of demonic energy different throughout the room. A light breeze announced the unusual visitor's movement.

Blinking, Hiten wondered if he was hallucinating. A fox the color of sand was sitting in front of him. Its piecing green eyes watching. Its large ears poised forward as though waiting for a greeting. 'Hello, Hiten.' the fox's voice emanating more from with in Hiten's mind than from the harmless looking creature itself. Raising an arched eyebrow, Hiten gave the fox as close an examination as he could without lifting his head from the floor. The little best merely tilted its head to the side, returning his expression. Pushing himself up, Hiten gaged on the acidic fluid which raced up into his mouth. 'It has been I long time I suppose, even though you don't really look any different.' The fox angled its head to it was looking at him from an off center perspective.

"Do I know you?" Hiten did his best to glare at the tiny creature. He had never been too fond of lesser demons. In fact if he wasn't feeling so badly at the moment, he would have considered killing this one already. The human-esk smile which the fox dawned sent a shiver across his skin. 'I know you and I also know that you are supposed to be dead. I watched you die with my own two eyes,' The fox snapped, its small size seemingly more menacing that Hiten would have liked to admit. Its tan fur bristling as its ears pinned back. "Drop the disguise." Hiten reached out to grab the increasingly annoying creature, only to have it back up just out of his reach. 'I doubt you'd recognize me, but as you wish.' A billowing ball of greenish fox fire swallowed the furry creature.

Gazing at the now revealed fox demon, Hiten tried to place who he was. Long red-orange hair was pulled back into a pony tail hung down nearly to his waist, the bangs left to frame his angular face and piercing green eyes. Curiously in full armor, this demon was distinctly someone from Hiten's time. Stiff white gloves covered his hands leading into deep green and silver forearm armor which extended from the wrist to the elbow of each arm. Matching shoulder plates were placed on top of a teal kimono and tied to a grey and black chest plate. A long sash tied at his waist held an additional piece of armor which hung down nearly to his knees. Its silver trim was striking against the teal pants which were tucked into similar bands as the fore arms which started at his ankles and reached approximately half way up his shins. The last bit were white socks covering otherwise bare feet and a long tan tail which swished to and fro.

"I know you?" Hiten's eyes met the fox's. The chuckle that resonated in the fox's chest no more reassuring.

"Last I say you I was only this tall." The fox sat down behold holding his hand a foot or so off the ground. The pieces fell into place. Hiten grew tense. Yes, he know who this fox was.

"You're that little brat!" Hiten pointed an accusing finger. "Did you come here to finally get you revenge?" He pressed his palms against the floor to push himself up. Shippou regarded the thunder demon quietly for a moment before speaking.

"No, although the thought did cross my mind when I had heard you attacked Inuyasha. Although it seems Kagome is still quite capable of both fighting and healing." Shippou paused, studying the other youkai. "Inuyasha is alive and will be back on his feet in a few days; where as it seems those burns will be much more difficult to get rid of." Hiten looked down as his bandaged hands and was now aware of his bandaged neck and sections of his face. "I originally came here to escort you home. Souten would have come her self, but there were unavoidable responsibilities she could not leave, so I was sent in her place." The fox dawned a mischievous grin as he watched the implications sink in. Standing, Shippou slowly walked to the door.

"Is she well?" Hiten avoided the possible implications of what the fox had just said. Hiten tried to imagine his sister fully grown and happy. His eyes dropping back to his injured hands rather than meet the gaze of the other youkai.

"Yes, she is very well." Shippou's voice significantly softened. "We will leave in the morning." The artificially lights went out as the fox exited leaving Hiten in the dark. Laying back down, he closed his eyes to try and sleep. 'My sister chose a fox as a mate?' He tried to fill in the gaps as he drifted to sleep. How strange the thunder demon blood lines must be by now. Fleeting memories of his mother made him smile in the darkness. 'Souten must have inherited father's strange tastes...'

To be continued...

AN: Well, personally I think Shippou/Souten would be a really cute couple! Anyway, took me a while to really think out what Shippou would look like grown up, sorry on the wait! Thanks for reading and please review!


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